The invention relates to a method and apparatus for displaying and navigating containment hierarchies such as file folder containment hierarchies, and more particularly to a system and method facilitating on-screen navigation through a file folder hierarchy which has a substantial containment level and a large file folder size.
Computers typically use directories or file folders to store files, thereby allowing files having some common characteristic to be stored together and accessed as a group. A top-level file folder may be considered as containing all the files on a given device, for example a hard disk or floppy drive. The top-level file folder then contains a containment hierarchy of file folders with each file folder containing file folders lower in the hierarchy, and/or files. A file folder which contains another file folder or file is referred to as a parent, while the file folders and/or files contained in a parent file folder are that file folder""s children. Children files and file folders are each other""s siblings. A file folder containing only files, and no file folders is a bottom-level file folder. The number of containments between a file in a bottom-level file folder and the top-level file folder is the containment depth for that file, and the number of files and file folders directly contained within a file folder is that file folder""s size, also referred to as width or breadth.
Various graphical user interfaces have been adopted for navigating through the containment hierarchy of file folders, the most common being that used in MICROSOFT""s Windows* based software such as File Manager and Windows Explorer. In these products, when a file folder having a xe2x80x9c+xe2x80x9d indicator (indicating it contains at least one file folder) is selected, a complete list of the file folder""s children file folders is added to a displayed hierarchy in a left display window, and any children files contained in the file folder are displayed in a right display window. Other rules come into play when a device is selected. When a file folder from the list of children file folders is selected, a complete list of that file folder""s children file folders contained in the selected file folder is added to the displayed hierarchy in the left display window, and so on. Windows provides various mechanisms for hiding the details of a file folder and for controlling somewhat what is displayed in the left window and the right window. These approaches work very well when the containment hierarchy has a small depth and a small breadth, but are cumbersome and inconvenient to use when one or both of these two characteristics are not true. This is because the containment hierarchy in combination with a large breadth (file folder size) may result in potentially relevant portions of the display being scrolled out of view, such that a user loses the ability to directly ascertain the containment or context of what is being displayed. More particularly, if the file folder of interest is in a large group of file folders at the same level in the hierarchy and contained within a single higher level parent file folder, Windows provides no way to focus on the file folder of interest to the exclusion of the others in the parent file folder. Suppose for example, the *Trademark file folder of interest is at the bottom of a list of one hundred file folders in a parent file folder, the hierarchy, or xe2x80x9ccontextxe2x80x9d of this parent file folder will scroll off the screen when a user moves down to the file folder of interest.
Another disadvantage of existing systems is that as the number of file folders opened increases, the display becomes cluttered making navigation to a new point in the hierarchy difficult. As a result the user is required to close up file folders when they want to navigate to new point.
It would be desirable to be able to navigate through a file folder containment hierarchy in a manner which allows the context of what is being observed to be continuously clear.
It is an object of the invention to obviate or mitigate one or more of the above identified disadvantages.
According to a broad aspect, the invention provides a method for use in a computer system for displaying a containment hierarchy such as a file folder hierarchy. The method displays a direct containment hierarchy for a selected containment group or file folder, and also displays a list of contents of one of the containment groups or file folders in the direct containment hierarchy. A direct containment hierarchy displays only file folders or containment groups which directly or indirectly contain the selected containment group or file folder. In this manner a large number of file folders or containment groups which do not ultimately contain the selected file folder or containment group are not displayed, thereby simplifying the display, and ensuring that the entire direct containment hierarchy can be shown on a single display screen without the need for scrolling in order to obtain or ascertain the context of the given file folder or containment group.
Preferably, the list of contents of the selected file folder or containment group is searchable to allow a user to quickly focus in upon files or file folders having names satisfying search criterion entered by the user.
Preferably, a pictorial representation of the selected file folder""s position with the direct containment hierarchy is provided. A skilled user can then select files or file folders by using the pictorial representation rather than the textual representation, this in some cases allowing a quicker selection process to be realized.
In other embodiments of the invention, a computer system, a graphical user interface, an operating system, and a computer readable medium are respectively provided each of which have been adapted to implement one or more of the above discussed methods.